Demon Blade, Human Heart
by CaliBrat
Summary: Chryseis is the newest member of the Justice League and seems to be adjusting well to her new life. But is everything really all that it seems to be? Rating may change later.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hi again all! Just some quick info-this is a sequel to my crossover story "Dark Alliance". The only character that I own is Chryseis. It's kind of AU and will have the SM/WW ship, so please don't flame me for that one! :)_

**Demon Blade, Human Heart**

Chryseis sighed and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the solitude of late night monitor duty at the Watchtower. She had dimmed the lights as she always did when working alone and the darkness reminded her of the many nights she and her father had camped under the stars when she was young.

_I really miss him_ she thought sadly, gazing out at the stars. _If only we'd known…_

Her ears picked up the faint sound of someone entering the room. "You're late, Batman."

"Do you have somewhere else to be?" came the reply. It had become their standard greeting, a ritual that both would have missed were it to cease. Not that either of them would ever admit it.

"Nope, just my bed," Chryseis answered, trying to stifle a yawn. She didn't want to admit it, but she was actually tired. She studied the Dark Knight out of the corner of her eye as she asked, "All quiet in Gotham tonight?"

"For the time being." Batman was aware of her scrutiny, knowing she would notice any and all injuries. At least his patrol of Gotham had been uneventful this time. And he could see that Chryseis was exhausted—much more so than usual. "Anything interesting happening?"

"Not a thing, and I hope it stays that way." Chryseis rose and stretched her aching muscles. "I'm ready to crash and burn tonight."

"Hm." Batman knew damn well the youngster was more than just tired this time. "Something on your mind lately?"

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Batman knew an evasion when he heard it, but for now decided to let it go. "Get some rest, we have a meeting in the morning."

"Oh, joy." Chryseis smirked. "See you then."

As the doors hissed shut behind her, Batman shook his head in puzzlement. Something was bothering their newest recruit, but she deflected every attempt to help her. At the moment, it didn't interfere with her abilities but it did bear watching.

_And what if it does become a problem?_ he wondered. _Aside from killing her, I can't see a way to stop her should she turn on the League. _

For now, he decided that the best course of action was to do nothing at all.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's the second chapter! It's a bit longer than that teaser of a first :) Hope you're enjoying it :)_

**Demon Blade, Human Heart**

**Chapter 2**

"Clark, I think something is bothering Chryseis." Diana spoke softly, not sure if he was still awake. He was quiet for so long she thought he'd fallen asleep.

"You've noticed it too?" Clark drew her a little closer and lightly stroked her back. Diana nodded but didn't speak further. "Has she said anything?"

"No, but she just seems…off." Diana propped herself up on one elbow to look him in the eye. Even in the dim light of his room, she was able to see him quite clearly. "There's nothing wrong with her fighting skills, but something's definitely not right with her lately. I asked her if she was all right earlier today before she came on watch, but she just smiled and said she was just tired."

"But you think it's more than that." Clark smiled up at his lover, reaching up to caress her cheek. Diana sighed and snuggled into his embrace once more. "What are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" Diana hugged him closer, needing the reassurance. "Her abilities aren't compromised, at least not that I could tell. She's always on time for her watch and seems to be adjusting to her life here. But I _**know**_ something's not right!"

"Shh." Clark silenced her with a gentle kiss. "It won't help if you get yourself all worked up, Di. Chryseis may not want to talk yet, but I think she'll come find you when she's ready."

"Yes." Diana had to admit he had a point. Whenever Chryseis was troubled, Diana was the one she turned to for advice and comfort. Sometimes it just took some time for the stubborn half demon to admit that she needed help. "I just can't help worrying about her sometimes. I know it doesn't make sense…"

"Sure it does." Clark rolled onto his side to cradle her against him. "She's had to grow up faster than any of us—well, except for Bruce—and she's still very young. And it's only been a few months since she lost her father."

"Clark, do you think…" Diana paused, not sure if she should continue, but then pushed on. "Do you think we should have waited? Or done more to hide our relationship?"

"Diana, she already knew how I felt about you when she used the _Tenseiga_," Clark answered, gently rubbing his thumb over her lips. He closed his eyes briefly, pushing back the terrible memory of her death. "When you died…I felt as if my heart had been torn out. I never want to feel that way again…"

"I'm here, Clark." Diana pressed against him, offering what comfort she could. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, my love." Clark sighed as he held her closer. "And I know that Chryseis loves you very much. She wants you to be happy, you know."

"I want her to be happy too," Diana admitted quietly. "But sometimes I just don't know how to help her…"

"I don't think it would be wise to push the issue—yet," Clark mused. "It could just be something she's working through on her own; she even be trying to figure out just what the problem _**is**_. Perhaps the best thing we can do is just give her a little space to figure things out. And as for hiding our relationship…I'm pretty sure she's the only one who _**has**_ noticed that we're together. And she seems to be pretty happy about it."

"Maybe." Diana snuggled closer to him, somewhat reassured. "Clark?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Comforted by his touch, she finally felt the day's exhaustion catching up with her.

"I love you too, Di. Try to sleep now, okay? Maybe in the morning we can figure something out."

As Diana fell asleep in his arms, Clark stayed awake. He too had noticed the slight change in Chryseis, but was at a loss to explain what had caused it. _I just hope that she'll confide in Diana soon._

* * *

Tired as she was, Chryseis found sleep to be an unpleasant prospect. Lately the nightmares she'd had after her father's death had returned with a vengeance. Some nights she was afraid to even try to sleep. _Damn it, this can't go on! So far I've been able to just pass this off as being tired, but eventually I'm going to royally screw up if I can't sleep!_

Detouring to the cafeteria, she decided to see if there was anything edible. To her dismay, J'onn was already there.

"Couldn't sleep?" the Martian asked sympathetically. He already knew that his young friend had been having trouble sleeping, but kept that knowledge to himself as she seemed able to cope with it.

"Not really." Chryseis got a bottle of water from the refrigerator and joined him. She had come to like the enigmatic Martian a great deal since she had joined the League. Often his wisdom helped her find the answers when she wasn't even aware of the question yet. "I…keep having nightmares still."

"I see." J'onn felt a rush of sympathy for the half-demon. "Perhaps that is your mind's way of dealing with what happened. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you."

"If it weren't for Diana I think I'd have gone off the deep end," Chryseis admitted. "And Mr. and Mrs. Kent were really kind—you know I almost stayed with them instead of joining the League?"

"I suspected," J'onn smiled. "How did you choose?"

"Because I think my father would have wanted me to join the League." Chryseis looked down at the table top. "And…I was tired of hiding, never staying in one place for too long. It's not much of a life."

"And yet you have remained here in the Watchtower except for missions," J'onn observed. "Have you considered a life on Earth under an assumed identity?"

"Like Clark?" Chryseis smiled a little. "I have thought about it some. But…I don't know. Maybe the freedom I've wanted so much scares me now. I always thought I knew who I was, J'onn."

"You are still who you are." J'onn reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Perhaps what frightens you the most is that now you know all of who you are?"

"I'm still not really sure what that is," Chryseis answered sadly. "I barely remember any of my own kind except for Father. And…I just couldn't stay on Themyscira. So I guess I'm still trying to figure out just who—or what—I am."

"Is there anywhere that felt like a home to you?" J'onn asked hesitantly. "Perhaps that would be a starting place for you."

"We never really…no, wait; there was this old temple in Japan. It was the last place we lived before…well, you know…" Chryseis swallowed hard, fighting back tears. Taking a deep breath, she sat up straighter. "We were able to stay there almost a year because it was in really bad shape and nobody ever came there. I don't think a lot of people even remembered that it was there."

"That could be a starting place if it still stands," J'onn answered. "Things have been relatively quiet here. I could arrange for you to have some time off to try."

"I'd really appreciate that."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while! Holidays were insane at my house this year! Hope you enjoy :)_

**Chapter 3**

"Chryseis, are you sure about this?" Diana asked softly. The half demon had asked to speak with her, Batman and Superman privately after the meeting and had made her request for personal time to return to her last home. "You don't have to go alone if you don't want to."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I need to." Chryseis kept staring out the window, not facing any of them. She had been hesitant about making her request, not sure how they would react. Batman was like a big brother to her, as was Clark; and Diana—she was both mother and big sister to the orphaned girl. "It's…it's not something I can really explain, but I have to do this…"

"No need," Clark reassured her. "Just remember we're here for you if you need us."

"I…appreciate it." Chryseis still couldn't bring herself to look at her friends. Silently Batman indicated that Clark and Diana should step out of the conference room. As the door closed behind them, he faced Chryseis.

"They're just concerned because they care," he said softly. Chryseis turned to face him, her expression a mix of sadness and fear.

"I know. But what if there's a crisis or something while I'm gone on this wild goose chase?" Chryseis knew damn well this wouldn't be a problem, but she was hoping to derail the conversation before it went any further.

"I think we can handle it, Bruce answered dryly. "You're afraid of what you'll find out."

"Like hell I am!" Chryseis snapped back. "I just don't know if I'll find answers…or just more questions."

"You won't know unless you try," Bruce smirked. "And if you do go on this 'wild goose chase', as you've termed it, you are not going alone."

"Batman, I do appreciate the offer, but there's no telling what I'll find there—"

"Which is precisely why you are taking backup," Bruce interrupted sternly. In a softer tone, he continued, "I know you want to go alone, but at least for the first two days I want you to at least let Diana go with you."

"This isn't her problem," Chryseis protested. "And she has enough responsibilities without me adding to her worries."

At that, Bruce actually laughed. "You still don't get it, kid. You're part of her responsibilities now. If you go off on your own, do you really think she's not going to worry about you the whole time?"

"I don't want that," Chryseis sighed in frustration, sinking down into a chair. "I can look after myself, you know."

"We all know that," Bruce answered wryly. Chryseis was notoriously independent and rarely asked for help—even when it was painfully obvious to all around her that she needed it. "But have you ever thought that Diana takes her responsibility to you so seriously because she cares?"

"Batman, I'd do anything for Diana." Chryseis wondered how the hell she was going to end this conversation. She had really wanted to go alone to give Clark and Diana some time together. "But I just thought she might need a break from babysitting."

"You're tiptoeing around the issue, kid," Bruce said quietly. He suspected his closest friends were involved, and now he was sure that Chryseis did too, but if she wasn't going to bring it up, neither was she. "Bottom line, you're taking Diana and Clark with you for at least two days or you don't go. End of discussion."

"I don't suppose I could get you to change your mind," Chryseis said softly.

"No." As she turned to leave, he added, "Good luck, kid."

* * *

_I really hope I'm doing the right thing here_, Chryseis mused as she packed a few things to take with her. After a brief debate with herself, she decided to get a tent before heading into the woods where the temple had been. She was almost positive it was still standing but had no idea what kind of shape it was in now. _Maybe Batman's right. Maybe I __**am**__ afraid of what I'll find out when I get there. For some reason I'm almost sure there's something there that I need to find…_

Her train of thought was interrupted by the door chime. "Come in."

"Hey." Diana stepped into the dimly lit room. "Are you ready?"

"I guess." Chryseis looked around, hoping she wouldn't need anything else. After a moment, she hesitantly belted on the _Tetsuseiga. _"I'm sorry, Diana. I really wanted you and Clark to be able to have some time together…"

"I know you did, and I appreciate the thought," Diana smiled, sitting down on the bed. "Batman was pretty insistent that we come with you, so maybe we can come up with a compromise."

"How?" Chryseis knew by the grin Diana was wearing that her guardian had an idea.

"Well, from what you told me, we're going to be pretty far out in the woods, right?" Diana was glad she'd spoken to Clark about their assignment.

"I see what you mean." Chryseis grinned widely. "And if I remember right, there are some hot springs near the temple too."

"Have you decided on an identity?" Diana asked softly. It had been agreed that the three of them would go incognito just in case they ran into any locals.

"Batman set it up for me," Chryseis answered, passing over an envelope. "My name is Chris Maru and I'm going to visit the place I was trained as a child. He said you're supposed to be my cousin or something like that."

"That should work," Diana mused. "Look, I know you don't want us to come with you—"

"Diana, it's not like that. I just…I don't know what I'm going to find there…" Chryseis broke off and hugged her friend tightly. "What if there's nothing to find or—"

"It's all right, little sister." Diana realized now that Chryseis was more afraid of finding nothing at all than anything else. "I'll always be here for you. And it doesn't matter what you find because it won't change who you are."

"I'm not even sure who that is," Chryseis admitted softly.

"Then perhaps that is what you will find out."


End file.
